1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of snowboarding. Specifically, it relates to a snowboard binding system that allows the snowboarder to step directly into the binding, and that allows limited rotational movement of the feet after engagement of the binding and during operation of the snowboard, all without manual operation.
2. Snowboarding and Its Problems
Snowboarding is essentially wave surfing applied to down-hill skiing terrain and conditions. While the skier uses one long plank attached to each foot to glide downhill over the snow, the snowboarder attaches both feet transversely to one shorter, wider plank with which she glides over the snow. The motion of snowboarding is much more similar to surfing than to skiing.
Snowboarding has grown in popularity over the past decade or so, to the point that it is becoming almost as popular as skiing. In fact, with younger generations of ski resort clients, snowboarding is already more broadly undertaken, which suggests that it will be more prevalent on the ski slopes in the foreseeable future.
Snowboarding requires a binding system that maintains both feet securely attached to the snowboard at all times during operation. Furthermore, the bindings must keep the feet from rotating or swiveling relative the snowboard during the operation of turning the snowboard, or while maneuvering through a turn. These requirements have led to the present array of commercially available snowboard bindings, all of which maintain both feet rotationally secure to the board at all times while the feet are attached.
There are two general types of snowboard bindings revealed in the prior art and commercially available today, (1) the soft boot binding, and (2) the step-in binding. Soft boot bindings evolved first and are used in conjunction with a basically normal winter snow boot. These bindings usually require snowboarders to sit in the snow while strapping their boots into the bindings. Examples can be seen in U.S. Pats. Nos. 5,261,689 to Carpenter (1993); 5,409,244 to Young (1995); and 5,556,123 to Fournier (1996), among others.
Step-in bindings require the use of a special boot specifically adapted to its specific binding. These bindings allow the snowboarder to step in and out of the binding faster and with greater ease. Examples of step-in bindings can be seen in U.S. Pats. Nos. 5,520,406 to Anderson (1996) and 4,973,073 to Raines (1990), among others.
All snowboard bindings of the prior art of which I am aware maintain the feet rotationally secure to the board at all times while the feet are attached. This presents problems that have not been solved in the prior art:
Problem 1. When a snowboarder reaches the end of a run, he must propel himself through the lift line through an action known as skating. Skating consists of manually releasing the rear foot binding, and propelling oneself with the rear foot while the front foot remains attached, much like the action of a skateboarder propelling himself along a horizontal street. With the currently available step-in snowboard bindings, none of which allow the free rotation of the front foot, the snowboarder's front foot remains cocked at an unnatural angle during skating.
This situation often causes snowboarders to collide with other skiers and snowboarders in a lift line (the lift conveys the skier up the mountain) because of poor control of the snowboard under these awkward conditions.
Problem 2. A related problem presents itself during the ride up the mountain on the ski lift. A skier can sit in the chair lift with skis pointing straight ahead, not intruding into the adjacent space occupied by another passenger. The snowboard user, however, with the feet set at an angle to the board's central axis, must cock the board so that it intrudes into the space occupied by the adjacent passenger. To avoid this intrusion, the snowboarder must straighten the board with feet pointed straight ahead, which places severe stress on the user's ankle and knee.
There is considerable strain put on the knee due to the moment applied to it from the asymmetrical weight of the snowboard being transferred to the knee through the moment-resisting connection of the single foot to the snowboard. Even without the problem of an adjacent skier or snowboarder, and provided ample room to allow the snowboard to lie sideways during the trip up the chair lift, the strain upon the snowboarder's knee should not have to be endured as a part of the sport.
Problem 3. Most snowboarders ride with the front and rear feet at different angles to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. For example, the front foot is 40 degrees to the long axis of the snowboard and the rear foot is 90 degrees to the long axis of the snowboard. However, many snowboarders ride freestyle throughout which the direction of movement constantly changes; the snowboarder and snowboard are turned 180 degrees in mid flight. In other words, the front foot becomes the rear foot and vice-versa. This riding situation is known as riding faky.
Riding faky results in undesirable respective angles of the front and rear feet to the longitudinal axis of the snowboard. Using the example from above, the front foot is now 90 degrees to longitude and the rear foot is positioned 140 degrees to longitude. This situation decreases overall control of the snowboard and places undue stress upon the rider's ankles and knees.
Likewise, freestyle snowboarders frequently perform aerial jumps and tricks which contort and twist the body in general. Currently available snowboard bindings, which maintain both feet rotationally secure during these maneuvers, restrict the snowboarder's motion and may put undue stress on the rider's joints.